Tyler Onyango could soon be handed first-team chance with Doucoure out
Everton have been without Abdoulaye Doucoure for their last three Premier League games, and his absence has been hugely felt.
It is unknown whether the Toffees will have the Frenchman, 28, available for the trip to Manchester City this weekend after the international break, but they do have a potential replacement in their ranks.
According to the Liverpool Echo, Rafa Benitez has taken note of Tyler Onyango, 18, and continues to use him in first-team training sessions over the course of the international break.
There have been calls for him to be thrown into first-team action with Doucoure still out, and while that has not happened yet, the teenager is knocking on the door.
One to watch out for
Onyango recently returned to action after missing the back end of last season due to an ankle injury he sustained in April.
He had to go under the knife and has been impressing since returning for the under-23s.
Benitez surely likes what he has seen so far, regularly involving him in action with the big boys during the break, and his first-team bow definitely cannot be far away.
Everton have struggled without Doucoure, losing two and drawing one of the games he has missed, and Tom Davies, Jean-Philippe Gbamin and Fabian Delph have filled in for him.
Nevertheless, there could soon be a chance for the highly-rated Onyango to get a taste of the action.
Everton know their talented youngsters are itching for first-team chances, and inviting them for training alone will not cut it.
With plenty of games on the cards heading into January, the teenager is likely to be given a chance to impress, and if he grabs it with both hands, he could just force his way into Benitez’s plans permanently.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are plotting January loan-to-buy bid for centre-mid hailed by Jack Grealish last month.
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